Nigerian Border Control State Prompts Electronic Border Management

High levels of illegal activity border-wide and corruption within the companies guarding Nigeria’s border has prompted a Chinese firm to apply to install electronic borders control equipment at a cost of approximately 244 million U.S. dollars.

Electronic border management deployment would tighten security immensely, reducing the temptation to try to access Nigeria’s borders illegally.  With enhanced security, and the reduction of illegal border activity, it will be possible for Nigeria to develop its borders and increase commercial promotion.

“Until now, what we had was a proposal from a private Chinese company with which we had also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide for an electronic border control and the cost of the equipment was approximately about 244 million U.S. dollars”, Interior Minister, Abba Moro said, adding, “With the assistance of the U.S. State Department, we realised that some components of the offer we got from the private firm was contained in what the State Department would be offering us”.

With the help of U.S. State Department, the Nigerian Interior Ministry hope to deploy advanced surveillance technology in addition to electronic borders equipment.